Any use for Chain brake handle on a milling saw?

[Notomo]

Been looking at milling saws and a recurring theme is the older cheaper large cc saws have no chain brake handle, I had been passing them over because if I am buying a saw it would be nice to have it for multy use and I feel better having the brake for regular cutting. But as far as milling goes is it useful at all? I could possibly save hundreds of dollars and get a lot more CC by going with an older saw that does not have a brake.

Then again the flip side I wonder if buying a newer saw would also be better just because of parts availability and reliability.

 

[mdavlee]

It's an unnecessary part on a dedicated milling saw.

 

[chads]

I generally do not use a chain brake on my saw for regular cutting with up to a 20" bar.
I never looked at a saw as particularly dangerous till I got into the bigger ones with big bars.
After looking at 36" and 105 teeth at m 9000 rpm it gets the respect it demands.
However after getting into milling I bought a 36" bar and it's a bunch more to handle and warrants using the chain brake fairly often when starting and maneuvering it around both bucking and milling.
I don't want to accidently tap the ground with 105 teeth to sharpen or to hit my toe etc.
After you throw a milling attachment/oiler on there and are trying to set it on the rails it is pretty easy to bump the trigger.
It will take firm grip to handle the setup as it is pretty heavy towards the end of the day its easy enough to squeeze the trigger while you moving it around.
Letting it idle for a few min between cuts to cool off in my opinion should have the brake set just in case you trip over it or something.

You have so much more stuff to do around a milling set up you are unable to focus 100% of your attention on cutting and maybe have other people working with you it is important to keep the blade stopped when not in use.
Also given the size of the saw one mistake could hurt ya pretty good.
I would hold out and get one with a brake.

 

[Notomo]

I generally do not use a chain brake on my saw for regular cutting with up to a 20" bar.
I never looked at a saw as particularly dangerous till I got into the bigger ones with big bars.
After looking at 36" and 105 teeth at m 9000 rpm it gets the respect it demands.
However after getting into milling I bought a 36" bar and it's a bunch more to handle and warrants using the chain brake fairly often when starting and maneuvering it around both bucking and milling.
I don't want to accidently tap the ground with 105 teeth to sharpen or to hit my toe etc.
After you throw a milling attachment/oiler on there and are trying to set it on the rails it is pretty easy to bump the trigger.
It will take firm grip to handle the setup as it is pretty heavy towards the end of the day its easy enough to squeeze the trigger while you moving it around.
Letting it idle for a few min between cuts to cool off in my opinion should have the brake set just in case you trip over it or something.

You have so much more stuff to do around a milling set up you are unable to focus 100% of your attention on cutting and maybe have other people working with you it is important to keep the blade stopped when not in use.
Also given the size of the saw one mistake could hurt ya pretty good.
I would hold out and get one with a brake.

Thanks for that you pretty much summed up why after x years of cutting I have finally decided to buy some chainsaw chaps as well. You may have went x years without an accident but it only takes 10 seconds to wish you would have had it in the first place "chaps, chain brake etc" and I have experienced kickback luckily it was after I had upgraded to a saw with a brake otherwise I am certain I may not be typing this right now.

 

[chads]

Yea I got chaps too and wear it most all the time. I forgot mine today but can't remember last time I forgot.
I just feel better with them on. the big saw is just nothing to mess around with.
It's not a gun but it demands respect anyway.
Chad

 

[Fallguy1960]

A retired logger from Oregon told me that the length on the bar is what makes a saw more or less dangerous. But it is the short bar that is the most dangerous. In a kick back situation the long bar with added weight slows the momentum so you can catch it, a short bar will cut your leg where as a long bar will be stuck in the dirt. He preferred a bar 2 inches longer than you inseam.

 

[Skeans]

It's not just the added weight, a longer bar will have less chain speed as well, falling timber I never use my chain brake most of the time we disable them so we can bore with the saws without them constantly hitting the brakes on but I never run anything shorter then a 32" bar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Skeans]

It's not just the added weight, a longer bar will have less chain speed as well, falling timber I never use my chain brake most of the time we disable them so we can bore with the saws without them constantly hitting the brakes on but I never run anything shorter then a 32" bar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SDB777]

I have no chain brake on the primary saw I use for milling, but it was broken when I received the saw. Being an older chainsaw, I didn't want to put much more money into it thinking it would probably end up dying.......it didn't die! Now I just don't want to bother getting one.....
Secondary saw has a brake, but it's just because I'm not going to go through the trouble of removing it.


Both saws run 24", 32" or 36" bars while milling, depending on the size of the piece needing to be done.





Scott (is Nyquil a food group) B

 

[Yaxyakalagalis]

I agree with chads, I haven't been doing this very long, but my work area gets pretty messy throughout the day, no matter how hard I try to keep things organized. So whether I am moving my saw/mill around it's idling on the ground, it's nice to know it's not spinning and I'm a bit more safe.

 

[Trx250r180]

On my norwood mill i click the brake if my hand is close to the chain if i am lowering the powerhead for the next cut . I leave it running ,and my hand is close to the bar measuring the next board for next cut ,takes a second to click the brake ,then unclick it when ready to cut again .

 

[BobL]

A retired logger from Oregon told me that the length on the bar is what makes a saw more or less dangerous. But it is the short bar that is the most dangerous. In a kick back situation the long bar with added weight slows the momentum so you can catch it, a short bar will cut your leg where as a long bar will be stuck in the dirt. He preferred a bar 2 inches longer than you inseam.

It's swings and roundabouts with this one. The longer bar will kick back slower BUT the longer bar means it generates more kickback torque which makes it harder to control.

It's not just the added weight, a longer bar will have less chain speed

Why does the longer bar have less chain speed? A sprocket turning at 10k rpm generates the same chain speed irrespective of the bar length.

FWIW I took the brake off my 076 as got in the way of the way the mill is noted to the mill, and it was a dedicated milling saw anyway. On my 880 the brake doesn't get in the way so I left it there. On the 441 which gets used on my small alaskan I left the brake on because it gets used as much as a bucking as a milling saw

 

[huskyhank]

The way I pick up my mill and saw makes me glad to have a chain brake. Because I start the saw on the ground and let it cool off running on the ground after a long cut, I use it every time I lift the saw on or off the log.

 

[Yellowbeard]

I'm still looking for a replacement chain break handle for my 084 if someone is looking to get rid of one. Though it is really my milling saw, sometimes I use it for other things and would prefer to have an operable chain break on it.